Recently I have gotten back into Skyrim, trying to quell the excitement of Elder Scrolls Online. I signed up for BETA Testing but haven't received an email yet, so I'm playing Skyrim to try and keep patient. Started a new file, finished the whole Companions and Theives Guild Quest Line, and remembered how much Markarth SUCKS after getting arrested for investigating Margret's murder... Damn Foresworn. I had to pay over 4k in Septims to clear my name after escaping the mines, and I tried killing that Foresworn leader but lost him while escaping.

Anyways, Long story short, I wrote a fanfiction after playing for the last two weeks and reading Whisper292's Dragonborn fanfiction saga which inspired me greatly. Just wanted to give her a shoutout since her fanfiction is the only thing distracting me from checking my email every five minutes in the hope that Elder Scrolls online sent me a BETA key... Thanks for keeping me sane!

Chapter One

The sky was clear and the sun was just beginning to set as Lassarina made her way to Whiterun. She had left Riverwood earlier that day, with a written plea addressed to Jarl Balgruff asking to send more Whiterun soldiers to their small town to protect them in the event of a dragon attack. Shuddering at the events that took place just the day before, Lassarina couldn't help but look up at the sky fearfully. It was still out there, the dragon. She looked back to the road at the sound of footsteps ahead and saw Imperial Soldiers escorting a prisoner. She passed them without meeting their gazes, not wanting to attract attention, a hard task when her skin was covered in smoke stains and she had dried blood on one side of her face.

"You there," one of the Imperials called. "What happened to you?"

Lassarina glanced over her shoulder at the soldiers. "The farm I worked at was attacked by bandits," she lied. "They set it ablaze and killed everyone, but I managed to slip away. I'm heading to Whiterun to find work."

"Damned bandits," one of the Imperials spat. "They're as bad as the Stormcloaks."

"It's you Imperials that are ruining Skyrim!" the prisoner retorted. He looked at Lassarina and added, "If you want work, go to Windhelm and join up with the Stormcloaks. Fight the good fight against these Imperial-"

The prisoner was silenced when one of the Imperials punched him. Lassarina flinched, wishing she could help him, but she wasn't about to be taken prisoner by the Imperial Army.

Not again, she said to herself.

"Be careful on the roads lass," one of the Imperials warned her. "There's been rumors of dragons."

"I'll be careful," she promised as she continued walking, turning on the road towards Whiterun.

She stared up at the keep ahead and smiled. Once she delivered the message she would find some work in the village and save enough to go to Riften. She would have never left if she hadn't been adopted by that family from Cyrodiil, merely adopting her so they would have an extra pair of hands to boss around. She was just nearing the stables when she felt the ground shake beneath her.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Instinctively she glanced up at the sky, expecting to see a dragon. But the sky was clear, not a dragon in sight, the ground still shaking. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the ground by something grabbing at the back of her dress. She screamed in terror as she looked over her shoulder and looked straight into the face of a giant. She had always heard stories throughout her entire childhood, of women kidnapped and raped by giants when they chose to travel the roads alone. She always figured it was just a way to scare her into never running away, but now as she stared into the Giants eyes, she saw they were filled with lust.

"Let me go!" she screamed, kicking with all her might.

She heard a hissing in the air and the giant screamed, nearly releasing her. Lassarina looked down and saw an arrow embedded in the Giant's chest. She looked around and saw a woman had fired the arrow. She had a man and a woman at her side and they were charging right at the giant, swords ready to cut it down. Lassarina had a dagger on her belt that she had nearly forgotten and reached down to grab it. Once she had it in her hands, she thrust it into the Giant's hand, making it roar in pain and drop her. She hit the ground hard, her temple coming in contact with a large rock, and cried out in pain.

She lay there, dimly aware of the battle occurring around her. The battle shouts from the fighters, the roars of the Giant. They echoed throughout the entire area, no doubt reaching beyond the stone walls of Whiterun, just above. It continued for several more minutes before it went silent, the fight ending with a loud thump from the Giant falling to the ground dead. She felt someone kneel beside her and lift her into a sitting position. Opening her eyes she found herself staring right into a pair of gray-blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice rough and masculine.

Lassarina blinked several time before nodding.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he inquired, reaching up to touch her head.

She flinched when his hands touched a very tender spot and he immediately pulled his hand away.

"I hit my head," she whispered, reaching up to touch where it ached.

Her hand touched the hot and already swollen area of her temple and it came away wet with blood.

"We need to get you to a healer," he said, lifting her off the ground and carrying her in his arms.

"I think this dagger is hers," said one of the women, as they placed it back into the loop on her belt.

Lassarina placed her head against the mans chest and listened to his heartbeat, extremely soothed by it. She was so tired. She hadn't slept since she woke up on the wagon. She closed her eyes and sighed.

I'll just rest a few minutes, she told herself, the darkness quickly taking her.

oOo

"Quick into the tower!" the Stormcloak shouted at her, pulling her by her still bound hands.

The entire town was in the grips of a panicked confusion. The dragon was flying overhead, shooting jets of hot fire down at the building and the soldiers firing arrows at it. The villagers were screaming and crying, running in every direction at once. Only the Stormcloaks and the Imperials seemed to keep calm enough to think. Lassarina allowed herself to be pulled into the tower and the door shut behind her.

"Jarl, what is that thing?" asked the Stormcloak that led her into the tower. "Could the legends be true?!"

"Legends don't burn down villages," the Jarl replied, his voice calm.

"We need to move now!" the Stormcloak announced. "Up through the tower, let's go!"

She followed him and another soldier up the steps. Just as the were halfway up, the wall beside the crashed down and the dragon poked its head in, staring right at her with those cold, evil eyes right before shooting its fire at her.

"NO!" she screamed as the fires enveloped her.

oOo

"NO!" she gasped sitting up in the bed.

"You're awake, thank the gods," said a gentle voice beside her.

Lassarina looked over and saw a small old woman sitting in a nearby chair, watching over her. She found herself in a bed, furs covering her naked, but clean, body, fire roaring nearby and warming up the entire room. The old woman got up from her chair and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside her and examining her head.

"Where am I?" Lassarina asked, clutching the furs to cover her body.

"You're safe and sound in Jorrvaskr," the woman told her with a smile as she gently touched the wound.

"What happened?" She flinched at the sharp pain but didn't move.

"Farkas carried you in and said you had a run in with a Giant," the old woman explained, dabbing a salve on her injury as she finished her inspection. "I cleaned you up, treated your wounds, and you've been asleep for two days straight. Some of the Companions were already saying you might not wake up. But you're a strong Nord woman, I told them. It'll take more than a bump to the head to bring down a Nord."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Tilma," she chuckled, her wrinkled face smiling at her fondly. "And what, may I ask, is your name?"

"Lassarina," she replied, running her fingers through her dark auburn hair, surprised to find it felt clean and soft.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Lassarina," Tilma smiled.

"Tilma do you know where my clothes are?" she asked shyly.

"Unfortunately the Giant ripped your dress," Tilma sighed. "But I found you an dress to wear. I wasn't sure it would fit though, you're so skinny."

Lassarina thanked her for the dress, surprised to see that Tilma had washed her small clothes, and quickly threw everything on. The dress was blue with a brown leather corset, that Tilma helped her tie on, and found that it truly was a bit large on her, especially around the chest, but she made due with what was given to her out of sheer kindness.

"Do you remember where you placed my hair tie?" she asked Tilma, trying to push her tangled waist length locks out of her face.

Tilma laughed and handed her the strip of leather that Lassarina used to tie back her hair every day. She quickly gathered it together in a braid, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the singed ends. She would have to trim her hair soon.

"Thank you for giving me a placed to rest when I was in such bad shape," she told Tilma with a smile. "But I really should collect my things and be on my way. I've bothered you enough already."

"Nonsense dear," Tilma reassured her. "You were in danger and the Companions helped you, as is their job. But, if you insist, You should at least have a hot meal before you leave."

She opened her mouth to refuse, but her stomach betrayed her by growling loudly, making it clear she was not to pass up food. She'd been asleep for two days, which meant the last thing she ate was some bread and cheese at Gerdur's house. Just the thought of it made her light headed and even hungrier.

"Just head into the hall and have a seat anywhere," Tilma laughed. "There's food out for anyone to enjoy.

Nodding gratefully, Lassarina walked out of the room she had slept in and into a large hall with a roaring fire in the center of it and a long table surrounding it. She saw a few people already seated, eating their fill and drinking from tankards. She caught the gaze of an Imperial woman and quickly looked away.

"The Nord girl is awake!" the Imperial woman announced. "Time to call in the bets! You owe me 10 gold pieces Torvar!"

"How do you know she's awake?" a drunk at one side of the hall demanded. "She might be sleep walking."

"Pay up!" The Imperial woman said, stalking over to him.

"Glad to see you're awake," spoke a familiar voice, the voice of the man who carried her here.

She raised her gaze and got a good look at him for the first time. He stood over a foot and a half taller than her, wearing steal armor and carrying a great-sword on his back. Shoulder length black hair framed his rugged, handsome face, all tangled and in need of a good brushing. His face and neck was dusted by the shadow on his stubbly beard and his blue-gray eyes were covered in war paint that had been applied sloppily.

"Some of the Companions had made bets that you wouldn't wake up." he chuckled.

"I noticed," she smiled, glancing over at the Imperial woman and the drunk named Torvar. "Thank you so much for helping me by the way. If you hadn't come along that Giant would have surely taken me."

"I was just doing my job," he explained. "My name is Farkas by the way."

"I'm Lassarina," she introduced herself. "Though if it's too long a name, many have taken to just calling me Rina or Lass."

"I like it," he grinned. "It's an interesting name to say the least."

"It means 'Fire Wine'," she explained. "It's a very rare spiced wine my mother was fond of and she saw fit to name me after it."

"Well it suits you," Farkas told her.

"I only wish I had some way of repaying you for rescuing me," she sighed, not having a coin to her name."

"Well you could always tell me why you were on the road alone while you eat," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her to the table.

Farkas looked Lassarina up and down as he led her to the table, making a quick assessment of her. She looked rather young, her sky blue eyes wide and innocent. And her face was very beautiful, a beauty no doubt gifted to her by Dibella herself, but it was marred by the obvious thinness from starvation that plagued her and her entire body.

She looks like she's never had a proper meal in her life, Farkas thought to himself, pulling out a chair for her.

Despite how skinny she was, he noticed she still had a woman's body, her curves accentuated by the corset around her waist. Once she was filled out properly with plenty of meals, she would be truly astonishing to look at, but she would also be in constant danger if she traveled the roads. Bandits would no doubt love to get a hold of her.

"Have a seat Lassarina," he offered. "And eat and drink your fill of food and mead."

"Oh I don't drink," she told him, her wide eyes shocked at the idea.

"Now that's amusing," he laughed as she sat down. "A girl named after wine, but doesn't drink."

"My adopted father never allowed me to drink any mead or wine," she explained, her mouth watering at the sight of the roasted rabbit legs on the plate before her. "He said it was only for him and his true born children and the guests at the inn."

"Then indulge yourself and have a sip now," he said, offering her a goblet full of wine, deciding her first drink should be similar to her name.

Lassarina hesitated, eying the goblet fearfully.

"Come now your father isn't here to deny you the pleasures in life anymore," he reassured her, placing the goblet in her hands.

She smiled at him and took a small sip of the wine. She was delighted to find it tasted of fruits she couldn't very well identify followed by a hint of spiciness that shocked her palette. Letting the flavor overwhelm her mouth she took another sip, this was much larger than the first. The Companions in the hall had been watching and laughed at how much she was enjoying her first taste of wine.

"A true Nord!" the Imperial woman laughed.

"That she is Ria," Torvar agreed. "I'll bet we'll find her sleeping off hangovers in the waterways in just a matter of days."

"I'll take you up on that bet," said a male Dunmer in the corner.

"Ten gold pieces then!" Torvar slurred. "How does that sound Athis?"

"Sounds like you're trying to get out of paying me," Ria said.

Lassarina laughed at the sight of these people before her and turned back to Farkas, who was still looking at her.

"So tell me, why was a slip of a thing like you traveling the roads alone?" he asked her.

"I was sent by Gerdur of Riverwood to deliver a message to Jarl Balgruff," she explained. "They request Whiterun guards be sent there to protect them, since Helgen was attack by a dragon."

"Aye I heard of that," he nodded. "Are the rumors true though?"

"I saw the beast fly over Bleak Fall Barrow myself," she told him. "I still need to deliver the message. Gods know if the dragon hasn't already attacked."

"If Riverwood was attacked we'd know," Farkas told her. "We've heard nothing of the sort since we found you."

"That's a relief," she sighed. "I'll deliver the message once I've finished eating then."

"What do you plan to do after you've delivered the message?" he asked.

"I'll try and earn some coin," she told him, taking a bite of rabbit. "Enough to hire myself a carriage to take me to Riften."

"You're from Riften then?" Farkas asked after a sip of mead, he had hoped she might want to stay in Whiterun.

"I grew up there with my older brother, well half brother," she spoke softly, taking another sip of wine as her eyes clouded with sorrow. "I was born in Windhelm though. Someones bastard. He sent my mother money for a time, so I think he might have been a noble, but then he died and his true born son demanded my mother leave Windhelm, possibly threatened by me. He told my mother he'd send her one hundred gold pieces every moon if she promised never to return and she did. I was only a year old when we moved to Riften, so it's my home."

"So you're going back to be with your mother and brother then?"

Farkas saw her eyes grow even sadder and he knew her family was no longer on this plane. Of course they were dead, she had spoken of her adopted father. He felt quite foolish and guilty for bringing up unpleasant memories.

"My mother died when I was four," she told him sadly. "She became sick in the winter and never got better. Most of my childhood was spent in Honorhall Orphange."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine," she smiled. "I never spent much time in the Orphange anyways. I spent most of the days outside with a friend. I want to go back to Riften to be reunited with my friend and help him run his market stand."

"What about your brother?" Farkas asked curiously as well as cautiously, wondering how he had perished.

"My brother, Einarr, was ten and four when our mother died," she explained. "The old woman at the orphanage, Grelod, wouldn't take him and allowed a Khajit caravan to adopt him. I imagine he can be anywhere between here and Elsweyr, I haven't seen him since that day and don't even know if he's alive."

"So for now you'll stay here in Whiterun?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yes," she smiled. "Do you know of any work around here?"

"Well the Companions always have work available," he told her. "But it's mostly dangerous work involving driving out bandits and other threats. Not work for a small thing like you."

"Well maybe I could help out around the hall then," she offered. "Help Tilma possibly. I know just from the look of her that she's not here to fight."

"Right you are," he chuckled. "Tilma lives here and keeps Jorrvaskr clean. If she wasn't here the place would be as untidy as a barn."

"I'll have you know that not all barn are untidy," she told him. "My adopted father made me keep the stables clean at all times so more travelers would want to stop and house their horses for the night."

"It sounds like he thought of you as nothing but a servant," Farkas frowned.

"Worse," Lassarina sighed, her eyes sparked with rage. "Servants get paid. But since I was his adopted daughter he never paid me. Just ordered me around and let his sons abuse me. That's why I ran away. One of his sons tried to..."

She trailed off and Farkas didn't need any explaining. A pretty thing like her could make any man weak and disregard any honor they had just to bed her, whether she wanted it or not.

"Where do these boys live?" he asked her. "I have half a mind to go to them and beat them half way to Sovengarde."

"Thank you but they're all they way in Cyrodiil," she told him. "I doubt they'd come looking for me too. And if they did I wouldn't go back without a fight."

He saw the fierce determination and fury that overtook her and knew this girl had a fierce hatred for her adopted family. He could never imagine what kind of childhood she had, since he grew up happily, growing up and fighting alongside the Companions.

"Well I should go deliver the message to the Jarl," she sighed, finishing the last of her rabbit and wine.

"Come back once you're done," Farkas told her. "I'll speak to our Harbinger and ask if he'd take you on for some work while you're here."

"Oh I was only joking," she laughed. "I could never impose like that."

"Think of it as repaying us for saving your life," Farkas smiled. "Tilma's getting on in years and she wouldn't say no to some extra hands. We'd give you a bed to sleep in and a place out our table while you're here."

Lassarina nibbled on her lower lip and looked around. She really did enjoy the atmosphere of Jorrvaskr and she did need to find some work.

"I'll think about it," she told him. "Besides you've only just admitted you aren't the one in charge here. Your Harbinger is."

"He won't send you out on the streets with nowhere to go though," Farkas told her. "And who knows, a few days with us and you might never want to leave."

She laughed at the thought and shook her head. Her home was Riften and she would get back there no matter what, just to see her best friend, and possibly check if Grelod the Kind was finally dead. She went back to where she had slept and found her belonging on top of a chest. She quickly took out the note from Gerdur, but left her other things. She knew she was going to come back anyways, so why have more to carry. She waved at Farkas as she made her way outside to deliver the plea to Jarl Balgruff.

Alright so I know it's starting a little slow, but every story does. I promise you if you just keep reading you'll end up loving this story. I love Reviews so please make sure to leave them, whether they be positive or negative. Negative reviews just make me want to improve!

Also make sure to check out Whisper292's Dragonborn Saga, starting with An Orphan's Tale! I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!